Saturday, April 1, 2017

Sanbot getting attention

We don't have an *official* announcement, but I'll call this Sony's customer for PicoP engine. (I'm also strongly suspicious of Ford -- See "Testing") That this robot is getting more exposure, and growing beyond China is a sign to me that this customer is active. Sanbot is getting attention lately in the US.

IF you're in a real hurry Fast forward to 3:25

PC MagazineThe Video suggests a LOT of projected displays, and shows it directly used in a classroom.

If you're like many Americans, chances are you've never encountered a Sanbot robot, but there are already more than 60,000 of the diminutive humanoid servants in restaurants, hospitals, shopping malls, and schools across China. Now they're about to invade the US.

Sanbot's maker, the Shenzen-based Qihan Technology Company, is currently in talks with several US companies who are interested in purchasing the robot. It won't say which ones just yet, but based on the trails that other humanoid service robots like Pepper have blazed, you can expect Sanbot to show up in places such as shopping malls and airports. Don't plan on buying one yourself any time soon, though: Qihan doesn't sell robots directly to consumers, not even in China.

Qihan brought Sanbot to San Francisco this week to show off its capabilities. Sorry, her capabilities—like Pepper, this bot is a female. The first thing you notice about Sanbot, which sells for about $10,000, is her impeccable pedigree of components. Sony manufactured the forward-sensing cameras, Sharp supplied the large touchscreen that adorns her torso, IBM Watson powers her artificial intelligence capabilities, and Nuance provides the voice recognition.